A Secular Age

Charles Taylor is a Canadian philosopher born in 1931 who is known for his work in political philosophy, social theory, and the philosophy of religion. His work often considers the philosophical underpinnings of modernity, secularism, and the nature of the self. Taylor’s academic journey includes degrees from McGill University and Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied under the influential philosopher Isaiah Berlin. Taylor’s career has spanned teaching positions at multiple institutions, including McGill University and Northwestern University.

In A Secular Age, Taylor integrates historical narrative with philosophical inquiry, examining how the shift from a religious to a secular society has altered belief’s social and individual nature. He is uniquely positioned to write this book because of his background in studying the intersections of culture, religion, and modernity. Taylor’s work discusses how secularism affects individual and collective identities, posing fundamental questions about the nature of belief in contemporary society.

Taylor’s exploration of secularization is personal and philosophical because it reflects his concerns as a practicing Catholic while engaging with the philosophical implications of living in a secular world. He challenges the notion that secularism is merely the absence of religion, presenting it as a complex transformation of belief systems and societal norms that alters how people find meaning, morality, and purpose.